Years ago, Mindy Kaling spoke about how often her interviews and profiles focused on her oppression within the industry, as if she was responsible for speaking about how she navigated an industry which wasn’t built for her, all while white actresses, writers and showrunners simply get to talk about their work. Well, Zoe Saldaña is going even further – Zoe recently spoke out about entertainment journalists’ habit of only asking people of color about political issues. As in, white celebrities get asked about their art, their performance, their process, all while actors like Zoe are asked about industry politics or global politics.

Zoe Saldaña is growing frustrated with political questions, mainly because she doesn’t find them being asked in equal measure across the industry. The Oscar winner said during a conversation at the Locarno Film Festival that she often participates in Q&As because she is eager to talk about the craft of acting. However, Saldaña keeps finding herself fielding political questions instead.

“One thing that’s incredibly limiting, and frustrating, is when I’m the only person of color or the only woman on stage, and that happens quite a lot for women and for people of color. And I wait for my turn to be asked a question about my craft, and I’m asked the political question,” Saldaña said, giving the following example: “What do you think we need to do to make films more inclusive?”

“I’m sorry, you don’t ask the only person that comes from the marginalized community,” Saldaña noted. “You ask the other 80 of them that are part of the gatekeepers, and you ask them if they know the answer because I think that we’re making people of color work double to be in a room.”

Saldaña did not give any specific examples of press tours where she’s been inundated with political questions when compared to her co-stars and crew, although she was notably asked about “Emilia Perez” offending Mexicans just minutes after she won the best supporting actress Oscar in 2025.

A journalist in the Oscars press room told Saldaña that the movie had been “really hurtful for us Mexicans,” to which the actor responded: “First of all, I’m very, very sorry that many Mexicans felt offended. That was never our intention. We spoke from a place of love. I don’t share your opinion. For me, the heart of this movie was not Mexico. We were making a film about friendship. We were making a film about four women.”

[From Variety]

For what it’s worth, I think it was fair that Saldaña was asked “political” questions about Emilia Perez, because that was a politically insensitive and culturally offensive film (to put it mildly) and the lead actress tweeted horribly offensive things about marginalized people for years. Like, no, they’re not going to ask about your craft, they’re going to ask about the giant controversies around the film. But otherwise, Zoe’s point is correct. Entertainment journalists absolutely pose wildly different questions to people of color versus white artists.

PS… Once you see this, you can never unsee it: pay attention to how often actresses are asked about work-life balance and/or being a working mother. Male actors are NEVER asked about being a working parent or how they balance their career with having a family.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.